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Anatomy of an AI Agent
An AI agent is composed of several key components that work together. Understanding each component and its role is the foundation of agent engineering.
The Components of an AI Agent
An AI agent is not a single program. It is a system made of multiple components that each play a specific role.
The main components are:
- 1Controller: the decision-making core that reads the goal and decides what to do next
- 2State: a record of everything the agent knows about the current task
- 3Goals: the objectives the agent is working toward
- 4Tools: functions the agent can call to take actions
- 5Observations: the results that come back from tool calls and external systems
- 6Memory: stored information the agent can access during the task
- 7Guardrails: rules that restrict what the agent is allowed to do
These components interact in a continuous loop. The controller reads the state, decides on a tool call, the tool runs, the observation is added to state, and the controller decides again.
Agent Component Table
| Component | Role | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Controller | Makes decisions | Reads goal and decides next action |
| State | Stores progress | Current task status, results so far |
| Goal | Defines the objective | 'Prepare weekly report' |
| Tools | Performs actions | Search API, Email sender |
| Observations | Returns results | API response, file content |
| Memory | Stores knowledge | User preferences, past task results |
| Guardrails | Enforces limits | Cannot delete files without approval |